A Whole New World
by gojackets77
Summary: Liamhain Burke is the most powerful Pureblooded witch in Europe. Dumbledore has her move to England to protect her. There is much more to this Irish witch than just a fiery temper, though. Now she is to marry Draco Malfoy. Set in GoF.DON'T OWN HP!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**Welcome Back to England**

_POP! _The _clank_ and clatter of metal falling followed the instantaneous sound.

_ What the bleeding hell is going on?_

"What tha' feck is goin' on?" I asked, opening my eyes and grabbing my wand from under my pillow.

I instantly illuminated the room, and standing there, a metal lamp sitting at her feet, was the family house elf, Emmy. Her eyes were nearly as big as footballs, and she looked scared out of her mind.

"Miss Liamhain, ma'am, Emmy is to tell Missus to go to England, Miss," Emmy squeaked out nervously.

I sighed. "Aye, Emmy, what's all this?"

"Missus, that English professor Dumbledore says for Emmy to tell Missus to go to England."

"That's bleedin' deadly, i'in it?"

"Emmy is sorry, Missus."

"Oi, Emmy, it's not ya fault. When he wants me ta' be there?"

"Now, if you could, Missus."

I nodded and with another _pop! _she was gone.

I'd been in contact with me ma's ould friend Professor Albus Dumbledore recently. Ever since me ma died, he'd been trying to get me to move over to England and go to Hogwarts. I went to school in Dublin, and I was to start my sixth year after that summer. Dumbledore feared that things would go wrong now that I was living on my own, mind the house elves. In the week prior, he'd been hinting more and more than he wanted me to move there.

"I guess he decided for me," I grumbled.

With a flick of my wand, my bag levitated from its spot in the closet and my clothes folded themselves and fell into the awaiting bag. Within five minutes, I was dressed and ready to leave for Dumbledore's. I was hoping for it to be cold in England, so I was wearing a pair of tight black pants, a pair of black boots that reached my knees, and a shining silver turtleneck. I threw on my green velvet robes before Apparating to where Dumbledore had always told me to go, 12 Grimwald Place.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing on the front steps of an apartment. I hoped I was in the right place as I opened the door. The inside of the apartment looked sort of sinister, if you ask me.

I didn't get too much of a chance to look around because an evil looking house elf popped in front of me.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a gravelly voice. "Dirty blood? Blood traitor? Mud—"

"Liamhain Black-Burke," I snapped. Bleeding house elves, touchy little shits.

He took a step back and bowed slightly. Of course he'd know of my name change; the entire wizarding world in Europe new just about everything I did.

"Oi! Kreature, what are you doing?" a male voice demanded. "Get on! Go upstairs!"

The house elf disappeared as a man stepped into the hallway where he'd been standing. I knew this man, knew of him, at least. This was Sirius Black. This was the man oh-so-wrongly accused of being a Death Eater and killing Peter Pettigrew. He was also my cousin, of sorts.

"_Sirius_?" I asked. "Aye, Siri, 'm'I in the right place?"

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around me in a hug. "Glad you remember me, Liamhain."

"'course I 'member ye', ya crazy git. Ma never stopped talkin' 'bout how the Ministry was a lotta bleeding pricks who had it out for you."

"Ah, she did always have a way with words, your mother did. Well, yes, you're in the right place, love. Dumbledore is waiting for you in the kitchen."

I nodded and went through the door he indicated towards. Professor Albus Dumbledore was waiting, sitting at the head of the table eating lemon drops.

"Howya, Professor," I said with a nod.

He looked up to me. "Hello, Miss Burke. How are you?"

"Bleedin' tired. How 'bout you, sir?"

He chuckled lightly, his eyes twinkling. "About the same, actually. I'm sorry about the time, but this is quite serious."

"What's 'appened?"

"Nothing has happened, yet. I don't believe it is safe for you in Dublin."

"Aye, why not? I'm of age—"

"That's what I'm worried about. Today, you turn seventeen. Liamhain, you know your father used to be a Death Eater."

I tensed and glared. "Jaysus! Janey Mack!" I said sarcastically. "Well, I _never _knew that."

"I don't mean to offend you, Liamhain, but you're protection is almost as important as Harry's."

"Ya' mean Harry Potter? How am I grouped wiff him?"

"You know why."

I said nothing but nodded. "Alright, so what's gonna' happen then?"

"You'll stay with the Weasley family and then you will spend your final two years of schooling at Hogwarts."

"I can do that, switch schools and all?"

"I said you could, didn't I?"

I snickered. "Alright, sir."

"Before you go to the Weasley's, can you go pick up Harry, please?"

"Of course. Always wanted ta' meet Harry Potter." I snickered and left the kitchen.

"Oi, Siri, 'm leaving!" I called out.

Sirius poked his head into the hallway. "I'm right here, you know."

I chuckled. "Alright, well, I'm goin'."

He wrapped me in a tight hug, which I instantly returned.

"I love you, Sirius," I whispered.

"I love you, too, Lee."

He brought me to the fireplace and handing me a pouch of Floo.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" he promised.

"Okay."

I then grabbed a pinch of Floo and threw it at my feet. "Harry Potter!"

In the next instant, I was standing in a small, dirty fireplace. A fat Muggle boy was on the sofa. When he saw me he screamed and ran out the room.

"Mummy! There's a woman in the fireplace! Mum!"

I chuckled and headed upstairs, where I assumed Harry would be. Sure enough, the first door on the right was emanating the sound of an owl. I opened the door, and laying on the bed was none other than Harry Potter.

"Hello, Harry," I said. "I'm taking ya' ta' the Weasley's place."

"Um…"

"Dumbledore sent me. Now, c'mon, boyo, there's a fat kid runnin' round downstairs anyway. Let's go."

He laughed and grabbed a bag, which he'd already had packed, and his white owl, who was already in her cage. He followed me downstairs, where a fat man and a bony woman were standing with the fat boy.

"Hello, mentallers," I said as I walked pass him. "Goodbye, mentallers. Real hospitable lot. Well, here ya' go, Harry." I handed him some Floo powder.

I repeated my actions from Sirius's house, but this time I yelled out, "The Weasley's!"

I was now in a much roomier, much cleaner fireplace. I stepped out of it after Harry. A motherly-looking ginger woman stepped into the room.

"Oh, Harry! You're here," she said, smiling, as she hugged him. She looked to me, a small smile on her face. "You must be Liamhain. I'm Molly Weasley, dear."

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley, nice ta' meet ye'," I said.

"Trust me, dearie, the pleasure's all mine." She turned towards the stairs. "BOYS! COME DOWNSTAIRS!"

I could hear footsteps from upstairs, and not long after did a troupe of gingers make their way down the stairs. First, there were two tall boys, about my age, who looked exactly alike. Then, a smaller boy who looked Harry's age followed them. Finally, a young ginger girl hopped down the last step. The kids were all followed by who I could only assume to be Mr. Weasley.

"Liamhain Burke, it is a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Weasley said, astonished, as he shook my hand. "Arthur Weasley."

I shook his hand a bit uneasily. "Good ta meet ye', sir."

The twins stood in front of me and bowed.

"Hello," one of them said when he looked up at me.

"Beautiful," the second one said, who smirked up at me.

"I'm George."

"Fred."

I laughed. These two were a trip. "Hi."

"Hey, I'm Ron," the other boy said.

"Ginny," the girl said.

"Now, dearie, you look like you need a nap. Fred, bring her up to your room. Honey, I'll wake you when breakfast is ready," Mrs. Weasley said.

**So I know I haven't exactly finished the other stories I have up, nor have I updated in a long time, BUT I've been working on this for a while and decided to post it. By the way, Liamhain is pronounced LEE uh vin. I used a bunch of Dublin and Irish accent sites to use my Dublin Slang, so I don't mean to offend anyone if I used these incorrectly. R&R please? **

**jess**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**I Can Only Handle So Many Memories in One Night**

I spent the rest of the summer comfortably at the Weasley's. I wrote to Sirius every week, as did Harry. Fred and George became my best friends. The lot of Weasley kids and Harry all played Quidditch, so we would play almost every day (Emmy brought my broom to me). I taught them how to play football, even though it took me weeks to teach them that football was a _Muggle_ sport, so they didn't know what I was talking about half the time. Still, I finally taught them how to play, and even though they weren't great, they didn't suck, either.

Finally, the Quidditch World Cup rolled around. This time, it was the Irish against the Bulgarians. Mr. Weasley got us all tickets because of his job at the Ministry. The day he brought home tickets was the happiest day at the Burrow since I'd gotten there. He got me one, too, but I'd already had tickets in the Minister's box; my ma had gotten them before she died.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'd rather be in the Minister's box than up at the top with us," he said when I told him.

"No, Mr. Weasley, I wouldn't. Actually, I've got two tickets, so why don't ye' and Mrs. Weasley take 'em?" I offered.

"We can't do that, honey," Mrs. Weasley said.

"C'mon, I insist. I'd rather be with this mentaller lot anyway."

So, finally the World Cup came around. Harry's and Ron's friend, Hermione, joined us for the World Cup. We had to walk up a massive hill to meet up with Mr. Weasley's friends and to get to the portkey, and everyone was complaining about walking.

"Aye, c'mon, ya' puss face, leg it!" I called as I ran up the hill.

"What are you saying?" Fred called.

"You're crazy!" George called up as well.

"You're lazy!" I called back.

"No, we're just normal!" Ron teased.

"Oi, you're not normal, Ron!" Ginny snickered.

I laughed. "Ginny, I love ye'!" I called.

"I know!"

"Dad, the girls are making fun of me!" Ron whined.

"_Dad, the girls are making fun of me_!" Fred and George mocked.

I laughed and skipped over a large fallen tree branch. Unfortunately, there was another one after it that I hadn't seen. My foot caught on it and I fell onto my face.

"Feck!" I hissed, grabbing for my leg.

My ankle had turned out under me, and it hurt like a bleeding mother. This actually made the lazy lot of gingers run. Fred got there first.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What happened?" George asked, as he got there next.

"Give her some breathing room!" Mr. Weasley called.

"I'm fine, fellas," I told them.

I simply pulled out my wand and cast a spell to fix the bones in my ankle. I was running up the hill again in the next second.

"YOU'RE CRAZY!" Fred and George yelled.

"Who's crazy?" an unknown Englishman asked once I got to the top of the hill. He was more a teenager, my age, than a man.

"I am, apparently," I answered. I outstretched my hand. "Liamhain Burke."

"Ah, nice to meet you. Cedric Diggory."

"Hi, Cedric."

He chuckled. Cedric Diggory was a fine bit of stuff, if you ask me.

The rest of the group caught up to me then, and who I assumed to be Cedric's father joined us as well. Greetings and introductions went around before we got to the portkey, which was an old tattered shoe. Most everyone fell to the ground when we arrived at the Cup, mind the Diggorys, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and me. I chuckled when I saw that Fred had fallen on top of George.

We split up from the Diggorys to go to our own tent. On the outside, the tent was freakishly tiny, but once we stepped inside, we realized how amazingly brilliant it was. Mr. Weasley had put an enlarging charm on tent so that the inside was massive.

Fred, George, and I immediately changed into our Irish green, white, and orange. For me, that meant that I pulled a pair of white leather boots that went up midthigh over a pair of green tights. I wore a long-sleeved, V-neck orange shirt and my green velvet robes, since it was pretty cold outside. Fred and George decked themselves out in green and orange, and once were all dressed, I painted their faces. George opted for the Irish flag on both cheeks, but Fred wanted half of his face green and the other half white. Then, I taught them how to step dance.

"Here, boyo, ye do it like this," I finally said after they'd been trying for fifteen minutes.

I stood up and started to dance. It wasn't hard, really; I'd grown up doing this. Everyone in the tent watched and then applauded when I was done.

When it came time for the actual Quidditch match, Mr. Weasley put me in charge of the whole lot while he and Mrs. Weasley went to their seats in the Minister's box. Our seats were in the very top row, so we had to walk up all the stairs there. Ron was complaining about how high up we were when ran into the Malfoys. How fortunate.

"Let's just say, if it rains, you'll be the first ones to know," a barely family voice sneered.

I turned to see Draco Malfoy smirking up at Harry and Lucius standing at his side.

"Ah, if it isn't the Malfoys," I drawled. "Fancy seeing yew 'ere." My voice dripped with cruel sarcasm.

"Well, if it isn't little miss Vulpecula Black," Lucius said. "Long time no see."

"_Liamhain Burke_, Lucius, it's Liamhain _Burke_. And, yes, I know, be'in' away from yew lot is one 'o the things I love about Dublin."

Neither of us had been paying attention to the what the kids were saying until I then heard Draco say, "Aw, Potter, your Mudblood's standing up for you."

I whipped out my wand and pointed it at Draco.

"I would've thought ye taught yer kid manners, Lucius," I sneered, glaring down at the boy.

"Be polite, Draco," Lucius reprimanded.

"Yes, Father," Draco muttered.

I reluctantly pulled back my wand. "Well, Lucius, I'd forgotten the stench of ye arrogant arseholes, so if ye don't mind, I'd rather find me seat before killing ye son."

I turned from them to start back for our seats again. Lucius tapped me on the hip with the snake handle of his walking stick (which held his wand).

"How's your mother?" he asked. The question was so seemingly innocent, as was his expression. Oh, but his eyes. His eyes were evil, sinister, and smirking.

I could have killed him. I _should _have killed him. And he knew it, too; he saw that look in my eyes.

I turned from him and stormed up the steps before another word could be said. Everyone followed me, shocked.

"Um, Lee—" Ron began.

"Shut up, Ron," Hermione and Ginny snapped in unison.

I couldn't pay as much attention to the match as I'd wanted to. I was too preoccupied on the Malfoys. You see, every "good" pureblood is interrelated; if you're a pureblood, you should only marry a pureblood. My father was Cygnus and Druella Black's son, Scorpius Black. He married Wicce Burke. After all hell broke loose with Voldemort and Sirius got sent to Azkaban, me ma moved to back home Dublin. My father had been stuck dealing with the Ministry for a year before he'd pulled enough strings to get found not guilty of being a Death Eater, even though the whole family knew that he was. My father wasn't the greatest man there ever was, nor was he even a great father, but he regretted his involvement with Voldemort till the day he was killed when I was seven years old. Even though we were in Dublin, the English Ministry of Magic kept me under protection, as did the Irish Ministry. I was under so much protection because of my father. Everyone in their right mind knew that any other living Death Eater had wanted Scorpius Black dead because they thought he was a traitor. My father had been Voldemort's right hand man, but he was of such high bloodline, such high respect, that he didn't want to live his life in Azkaban. No, our family was too good for that.

Yes, the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black was far too good for Azkaban, no matter how much they stood for what Lord Voldemort believed in. Hell, most of the family managed to worm their way out of prison, and seeing as how much power the Black family had, this was really quite simple. That didn't mean that the family didn't believe him a traitor. Hell, Walburga even disowned him from the family, at least until I was born. When I was born, it was as though the gates to heaven had opened and all had been forgiven. Walburga and Orion took in my parents the moment I was born and instilled family tradition upon their newborn daughter (i.e. me). It had always been a Black family tradition for children to be named after a star or constellation. My mother still wanted me to have an Irish name, as she had grown up in Dublin herself. Thus, the name Vulpecula Vega Liamhain Black was bestowed upon me two days after I was born. Growing up, I was only called "Vulpecula" by my father's family or when I was in trouble; otherwise, I was known as Vega. After my father died, me ma added her surname into the mix. Once she died, I went to the Ministry of Magic in Dublin and had my name changed to Liamhain Vulpecula Vega Black-Burke. Until my little run in with Lucius, I hadn't been called "Vulpecula" since my father died. In fact, that was one of the last words he said to me.

"_Father, why do ye' always go to the Malfoys' house?" I asked after he'd returned gtom Malfoy Manor the fifth day in a row._

"_Lucius and I are very close. You know this already, Vulpecula; don't ask questions when you know the answers," he snapped. _

"_But why? Ya'know, I never liked them—"_

"_Don't speak of them like that! No daughter of mine will speak ill of the Malfoy family. Not over my dead body will you act like such a prude."_

"_Yew sound like Aunt Walnurga."_

"_Dammit, Vulpecula! When are you going to learn your fucking place!"_

_I flinched instinctually, expecting the Cruciatus Curse or some form of punishment. I got none. Peeking through my lashes, I saw my father run his hand through his graying long hair. He let out a deep sigh. _

"_I'm sorry, Father," I mumbled, my eyes glued to the floor._

_He shook his head. "Don't say that, Vega," he sighed. "Never apologize."_

"_It shows weakness," we finished together. He smirked down at me._

"_Good girl," he admired. "I knew I raised you right. Fuck what Walburga says."_

_I chuckled. "So, are ya goin' back there now, to the Malfoys?"_

"_Don't ask questions when you already know the answers. I love you, Vulpecula."_

"_Love yew, too, Father."_

_A _crack _sounded in the room, and I never saw my father again._

Fred then decided to interrupt my train of thought by yelling, "Ireland won!"

"And Bulgaria caught the snitch!" George added.

"Wha? What's happened?" I asked, looking at them for the first time since I'd spoken to Lucius.

"You weren't watching—" Fred began.

"The game?" George finished.

"Me mind was busy," I answered. "Well, of course we won, fellas! Told ya' we'd win!"

The twins looked at me skeptically but said nothing. Once we were back in the tent, we were all drinking away and step dancing again. I was still not in a good mood, but I hid it and danced with Fred.

Then, we heard a bang outside.

"Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on," George chuckled.

Mr. Weasley entered the tent then. "It's not the Irish. We have to go." His voice was grave.

I pulled away from Fred and ran outside. There was pandemonium everywhere I looked. Death Eaters were running around in black cloaks, and there were fires everywhere. I glimpsed one of the oh-so-familiar Death Eater masks, and unwanted memories flashed before my eyes.

"_You see this?" he yelled, pulling up his sleeve so I could once again see the sinister tattoo that stained his forearm. "You wouldn't even think of the things I've done! DON'T YOU TURN AWAY FROM ME! I could _kill_ you, Vulpecula! You know damn well that I'm capable." With a swish of his wand, a sinister silver mask was on his face. Black designs were etched in it, and I couldn't help but think that the mesmerizing swirls were the souls he had taken. "YOU LEARN HOW TO RESPECT ME, CHILD! CRUCIO!"_

_The last thing I saw before everything went black was that evil mask._

"Lee, we have to go," Fred said, grabbing my arm and snapping me out of my reverie.

Harry ran out of the tent then, so I went after him. There was no way I was letting that boy get killed.

"Get out, Fred! Go to the forest; I'll be right there!" I called back.

I caught up with Harry eventually, but by then we had gotten to a deserted area where everything was burned down.

"Harry, what're ye doing?" I asked, breathless. Running in the cold was never fun.

He hissed in pain and grabbed his scar. I sighed and pulled my robes off, only to wrap them around him.

"C'mon, Harry, we gotta go," I insisted.

I froze, though, when I saw a man walking in the distance. He was walking slowly, deliberately. The man raised his arm to the sky, and with a flick of his wand, the sky clouded green. Once the green clouds moved out of the way, we saw the Dark Mark in its place.

"Janey Mack, feck me," I whispered. I couldn't handle too many flashbacks in one night, and that Dark fucking Mark wasn't helping one bit.

The man looked at us, but I could have sworn he was only looking at me, looking straight into my eyes as though he knew who I was. I got lightheaded then and grabbed onto Harry's arm for support.

That's when Ron and Hermione found us.

"Harry, what happened?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, mate, we couldn't find you," Ron stated.

They froze when they saw the Dark Mark about us.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed.

That's the last thing I remember hearing before passing out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Talk About a Happy Family**

"_You give that girl too much, Scorpius. She needs to learn her place in society," Walburga's high-pitched voice lectured. "She runs around acting like she owns the world. What will she do when it's time for her to marry? I'll tell you, brother, she _won't._ That's all there is to it. She won't get married and then that will be the end of the line for our family."_

_ "Don't be so overdramatic, Walburga," my father snapped, running his fingers through his hair. "You let _me _worry about my daughter. And you would do well to remember you're place, by the way. I'm older than you, as you seem to have forgotten, and I can be here from Dublin in a second if you behave like this. Disgracing our name…"_

_I was watching in on this from the doorway. We'd been visiting my aunt Walburga at one of the family's houses in London. I knew the moment that she saw me, Walburga Black did not like me._

"_When she grows up," my father continued, "she'll be more powerful than you, if you're still alive that is. Do you know how _pure_ my Vega's blood is? She's brilliant. You know Wicce is Belvina and Herburt Burke's great-granddaughter. My Vega could give Grindewald a run for his money."_

_I was so foolish back then, so naïve. I couldn't help the snicker that rose in my throat and passed my lips._

_Walburga's eyes burned into mine._

"_Look at her! Spying on us! She has no idea of respect, Scorpius!" she yelled, standing up to face me. "She has no idea what respect even means!"_

_My father rose to his feet and turned to me lazily. He pulled out his wand as though it was annoyance for him to curse me. _

_I didn't even hear him utter the Crutiatus Curse. _

"_Don't tell me I don't know how to reprimand my children, Walburga," he sneered, ignoring me as I was writhing and screaming in pain, "or that will be you next time."_

_My cries of agony went unheard as he strode out the room, followed by the woman who hated me._

**Basically, I didn't like this at the end of chapter 2 or the beginning of the next chapter, so this is what happened. Chapter 4 will be up soon! R&R please**

**jess **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Fecking Malfoys**

"What happened? I thought you were supposed to be protecting her!"

"She ran off, Sirius."

"She should know better."

I tried to roll away from the voices, but my body hurt too bad to move. I let out a groan.

"Yeah, well, I should know better," I snapped.

I peeled open my eyes to see Sirius, Mr. Weasley, and Dumbledore standing above me. Sirius kneeled down so that we were eye level and held my face in his hands.

"Don't do things like that, Liamhain," he murmured.

"Miss Burke, what happened?" Dumbledore asked rather calmly.

"Some bleedin', feckin' git of a prick cast the Dark Mark, and…that's it. That's all I 'member," I murmured.

He nodded. "Alright."

"Alright?" Sirius asked. "She was cursed!"

"Sirius, help me up an' get me some water," I murmured.

Sirius looked back down to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. He helped lift me into a sitting position and Dumbledore handed me a glass of water. I downed the water in one sip. My throat was still dry, and my mouth felt as though it'd been stuffed with cotton balls.

"Is Harry okay?" I asked.

"Yes, he's fine," Fred said with a glare as he entered the room.

"Are you?" George asked, mimicking his brother's actions.

"Peachy," I snapped.

"Let's leave you three to be," Dumbledore decided.

The three adults left, so Fred sat behind me and George in front of me.

"What?" I snapped.

"Why'd you run off?" Fred asked.

"Would ye rather Harry be the one who was cursed?"

"Yes!" they answered together.

I raised a brow.

"Okay well, no," Fred mumbled.

"Not really," George grumbled.

"But we don't like you being cursed either!"

"Or you running away!"

"So you should've just stayed with us."

"And then everyone would be fine right now."

"And Harry could be passed out or dead," I answered.

"You could be dead!" they scolded.

"Who's more important, me or Harry?"

"Neither," Fred decided.

"You're equal," George said.

"I mean, you're practically royalty."

"And Harry's the reason Voldemort is gone," I quipped.

"Well…you're still equal."

I shook my head. "Get home, fellas. I got more important people to talk ta."

They snickered and each of them kissed one of my cheeks before leaving. Dumbledore entered again with an old tattered hat.

"Professor, mind yew, what is that?" I asked.

"This, Miss Burke, is the Sorting Hat. I figured you'd rather be sorted into a house here rather than with a bunch of first years," he explained.

"Ah…okay."

He placed the tattered hat atop my head.

_Well, well, well, if it isn't the famous _Liamhain_ Black…No, Burke now, isn't it? Plenty of name changes…Yes, you've got Slytherin blood in you. But you're Irish—you're brave. Maybe Gryffindor…No, you're definitely cunning, sly, sneaky. Very smart, though, yes…You like to get what you want; you always get what you want. A bit of a trickster, I see…Very cunning. You get that from your father. And sneaky, that's from your mother. Oh, short-tempered, too. Yes, you are definitely a _

_ "SLYTHERIN!"_

Dumbledore smirked and removed the hat from my head.

"Very well, then. Sirius will take you to buy your new robes and books, and I'll send you your schedule tomorrow," he explained.

I nodded, still confused, as Dumbledore walked out of the room. Sirius joined me after a few minutes.

"Siri, what jest happened?" I asked.

He scoffed and sat next to me. "You got sorted into your family's house."

"That's bad, i'in it?"

"No, you'll do fine. You just stay away from those Slytherin boys, they're no good."

I nodded. "Eh, Dumbledore said yer takin' me ta get robes?"

"Polyjuice potion works wonders, love. We'll go next week, once you're feeling better. Till then, you're not to play Quidditch or football."

"What? No. No way. Yer crazy, feckin' mental."

"_Anyway_, you're staying inside until you're better."

"I am better."

He chuckled. "Bullshit."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. So, Slytherin, eh?"

"Yeah, Slytherin."

"What house were yew in?"

"Gryffindor, where _you_ should be."

"Oh, well, can't help it, can I? 'sides—"

Kreature popped into the room then and handed me an envelope.

"Kreature, go get me some firewhiskey and something to eat," I ordered, moving back into a lying position and propping my legs up, ankles crossed, on Sirius's lap.

The house elf vanished. I looked at Sirius curiously.

"Wa'n't me father disowned?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered, confused.

"So, how come that little shit listens ta me?"

"You weren't disowned, just you're father. And my mother put him back in the family as soon as you were born, anyway. Strange woman, she was."

I nodded in agreement but kept my thoughts on Walburga Black to myself. I decided to open the envelope, and the letter inside made me want to kill somebody.

_"Liamhain" Black (Burke),_

_ It really was a pleasure seeing you at the World Cup. I understand that you are now living with the Weasley family. Such a pity, living with blood traitors like those. It really is a shame. Well, enough with pleasantries. I'm sure you remember what you're father used to tell you about us. Be at Malfoy Manner tonight at five._

_Lucius Malfoy_

"Feckin' hell," I grumbled, crumbling up the letter and throwing it to the floor.

"What?" Sirius asked, his face one of worry and confusion.

I grabbed the letter off the ground and threw it at him.

_Fucking Malfoys._

"Feck, Kreature, bring me mah feckin' firewhiskey!" I yelled angrily.

Kreature apparated in front of me then, a glass of firewhiskey in hand.

"I'm not a feckin' American, ya' damned animal! Gimme the bleedin' bottle! And I'm STARVIN', Kreature! Where's me food?" I screamed at the house elf, causing him to apparate out of the room instantly.

When I looked back to Sirius, the letter was floating in the air and burning. He looked as pissed off as I felt. Apparently, Sirius knew about my father's relationship with the Malfoys. My father was always close with the Malfoy family, therefore he told Lucius (who was his best friend) that if he bore a child, he or she would be betrothed to Lucius's child. This decision was never Swore upon, nor did Ma agree to it, so I wasn't sure if this still stood as to be recognized by the Wizarding community. Aside from this, though, my father and Lucius made a promise. My father knew that things were bound to go bad for him, so he made Lucius promise that when something happened, Lucius had to make sure that I keep the bloodline pure. To do so, Lucius promised that he would personally watch over me, by having me live at Malfoy Manner. This is a promise that Ma agreed with.

"KREATURE!" I yelled.

He appeared then with a bottle of firewhiskey and some type of stew. I grabbed the bottle and gulped down a sip. Kreature set the bowl on the coffee table and disappeared.

"You're not going," Sirius ground out.

I scoffed. "Hell yes, I am."

"Why the hell would you _want _to go?"

"It's not that I wanna go. I jest gotta sort things with Lucius."

"No. You are not going. You have to get better first."

"I'll be fine once this bottle's empty. 'Sides, wha' time's it?"

"Two."

"Look, I'll 'ave a drop o' this, get pissed, 'ave a kip, go ova' there and eat the head off 'im, then I'll find the local and piss up."

"No. You're not going anywhere; you're not getting drunk; and you're definitely not going back to Malfoy Manor ever again."

"Sirius, I'm going. I have things ta settle."

"No—"

"Sirius, lemme' sort me shit out!"

He looked at me, brow cocked, and burst into laughter. "Fine, fine. You can go, but if you're not back by midnight, I'm sending the Ministry out for you. And you're not going alone."

"I'll take Vinny! Get Kreature to sort it."

With that, I started to chug the bottle. After an hour, I was beyond pissed. Sirius decided then to give me a dose of Calming Drought, which sent me into my one hour nap. Once I woke up, I still had a comfortable buzz. Sirius had to carry me to my room so I could make myself look decent. I still had the chills from whatever fucking curse was put on me, so I dressed warmly. I wanted to show Lucius up, though; I wanted him to know that I was still more powerful than him. I wore a pair of elvin-made black silk tights that, while seemingly thin, had been bewitched to heat up or cool down according to the temperature outside. Above the tights, I wore a black dress that came just past my knees. It looked both expensive and powerful, that is if clothing could look powerful. I pulled on a pair of black boots and a pea coat made of dragon hide. With a flick of my wand, my deep red hair was straight as a pin and my makeup was done instantly. I slowly made my way down to the fireplace, where Sirius was waiting alongside Vincent "Vinny" de Luca. Vinny had been the head of my family's security, and he was now my personal security, whenever I needed him. He was one of the best Aurors of the time, aside from, of course, Mad-Eye Moody.

"Hello, Vinny," I said, my voice worn out. "Let's be goin' then, eh?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am, let's go," he answered. I grinned when I heard his voice; I'd always loved his Italian accent.

After Vinny Floo'ed himself to Malfoy Manner, I did the same. I stepped out of Malfoy's fireplace with one long, graceful, powerful stride and looked Lucius Malfoy straight in the eyes.

"_Liamhain_, so wonderful to see you," Lucius drawled, obviously mocking my name, "when you're not dressed up like bloodtraitors."

"Ye' mean the Weasleys?" I asked, being sure to keep my voice even and my temper at bay. I hadn't acted accordingly at the World Cup, but I'll be damned if I was going to let Lucius see me like that again.

"Yes, such filth for a young woman of your standards to be hanging out with."

"Ye' mean power, not standards."

He chuckled, but I knew it was forced. "How have you been, Liamhain?"

I barked out a laugh. "Peachy, Lucius, just peachy."

"Good, good. Well, enough with the pleasantries, love; we _are _here for business. Mr. de Luca, if you wouldn't mind?" With a flick of his wand, the door Vinny was silently standing in front of swung open.

Vinny, of course, looked to me for orders. I only nodded my head, signaling for him to leave. Whatever Lucius had to tell me, I didn't want Vinny to know. Yes, I trusted Vinny with my life, but some things were better left unsaid, especially when these things were being said by Lucius Malfoy. So, though he did not agree with it, Vinny left the room and shut the door behind him. I looked back to Lucius, who had moved from standing in front of me to sitting behind a large, black desk. We were in his private study, this I was certain of. My father had spent so many nights in this very room during the weeks that led to his death. It was hard to believe I was in the room where my father was last seen alive.

"You know, Vulpecula, you haven't been here since—" Lucius began, his voice languid.

"Since me father died," I finished bitterly, ignoring the name he'd called me. "This sounds like pleasantries again, Lucius."

He ignored my last comment. "Mind you, you're father and I were very good friends, until the day he died. Which was, by the by, a very early death, even by muggle standards."

"Yes, that may be due to the fact that he was killed by bleedin' Death Eaters, wouldn't it?"

"He could have taught you better manners."

"He tried alight, mind yew."

"Well, Walburga _was_ right then—he didn't raise you right."

In spite of myself, I sneered, "Don't talk o' him like that, yew feckin' traitor!"

He glared and turned his attention to what he was holding in his hand. He held up a ring, and upon further inspection, I realized that the ring bore the family crest. That used to be my father's ring. I had scars from that fucking ring, and now Lucius had it!

"Where'd ye' get that?" I snapped.

He snickered. "Ah, there it is, more of that inglorious temper that _Vulpecula Black _is so famous for."

I glared down at him. "I thought ye' preferred manners."

"Oh, no, you're right, I do believe that you women have to obey their superiors, but—"

"Too bad I'm yer superior, then."

Now it was his turn to glare at me. I basked in this, though. I was able to control myself knowing that I'd pissed him off.

"So, Lucius, I'd like that ring, if ye' don't mind," I ordered. "Oh, and I'm not marrying yer son."

He stood up so that he was looking down at me. "It's been arranged; you're marrying Draco."

"Like hell I am."

"There's nothing you can do about this, Vulpecula!"

I gripped my wand so hard that my knuckles turned white, but I didn't say anything. I was going to prove to him that I can be in control.

"That's more like it," he sneered. "It's good to know that at least _some _of Scorpius's discipline meant something to you. Now, I'm certain you don't know the whole of what happened. The day you were born, your father promised me that if Narcissa ever had a son, you would be his. Two years later, Draco was born, and I swore to Scorpius that as soon as he was of age, the two of you would be wed. We Swore on it, Vulpecula, and the Ministry has everything on file…" He twirled the ring around his finger. "Scorpius knew his time was coming before it happened. He knew they were coming for him, and he had come to terms with this. He didn't trust this information with anyone but me, though. The week before his death, Scorpius gave me this ring. He told me what was going to happen, and he told me that when you became of age, I was to give you this ring. You, in turn, are to give it to Draco once you deem him fit of your family name. This ring has been in your family for centuries, Vulpecula, and it has always been passed down in such fashion. After Scorpius died, Wicce spoke to me. I told her of the marriage Scorpius and I had arranged, and she agreed wholeheartedly. Then, she told me that if she were to pass before the marriage, you would live here with my family."

"Oh, Lucius, that _is_ such a wonderful story, really, but it seems a bit too coincidental, if ye' ask me, coming from the last man who saw him alive."

"Here."

He handed me a letter, the writing on which bore my mother's unmistakable handwriting. Lucius had told the truth, this letter told me just that.

_My dear Vega Lee,_

_ If you're reading this, then you must be of age and I must be dead. I'd hoped that this wouldn't happen, but such is life. Now, baby, I know you never liked the Malfoys. Actually, I remember hundreds of fights about the exact thing. I hope you don't hate them, though. I pray to Merlin that you don't hate them. _

_ You know what Scorpius used to say about Draco, that you two are to get married. I know you two always argued about that, too, but this isn't something you can argue about. Baby girl, you've got the Purest blood in Europe; Draco is the perfect match for you. Please don't be mad at us. Scorpius thought it was best, and now that he's gone, I realize he was right. Lucius will give you Scorpius's ring, if he hasn't done so yet. On Draco's seventeenth birthday, you are to give him the ring, and then the two of you are to be wed. Set the date whenever you like, but you will be engaged._

_ As you already know, it is no longer safe for you in Ireland, what with how much Death Eaters love revenge. There are plenty of places in England for you to stay, and while you'll probably find refuge at one of your father's old houses, you won't be staying there, not if I have anything to do with it. I want you somewhere safe, and the safest place for you is at Malfoy Manor. Don't you dare argue about this, Vulpecula. I know you'll want to, but DON'T. Is that understood?_

_ Live up to our name, Vega Lee. I love you._

_ Mum_

"I won't live with yew, Lucius," I told him simply.

I was trying so hard to do as my father had always told me—_Don't show your emotions_, he always said. _No daughter of mine is going to look weak._ This was hard to do, though. I could do it when he used the Cruciatus Curse on me. I did it at his funeral, and I did it when Ma died. But now, standing in front of Lucius Malfoy, tears were fighting their way to pour from my eyes. Deep down I wanted nothing more than to fall to the floor and bawl my eyes out and scream that I wanted my life back.

But that would show weakness. The Black family was not weak.

Lucius didn't answer me, just studied my face. I knew he was looking for something, some tiny hint that I wanted to kill him. I wouldn't give him that, though. No, I just looked at him with no emotion. I was still gripping my wand.

"Well, that _was_ fun," I sneered.

"You really should know how to act better," he scolded.

"I'm your superior, Malfoy! No matter how much ye' hate it, I'm superior to ya'. I'm richer than ye', I'm more powerful than ye', and me blood is purer than yers!"

I wasn't expecting what happened next. He slapped me. Hard. I did the first thing that made sense, though I definitely wouldn't have done the same thing had he been my father. I pulled out my wand and cursed him.

"_Flipendo!" _I yelled, sending him flying back into the wall. "_Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"_

I walked over to where he was lying on the floor. Crimson blood was dripping from a cut on his head. I took the ring from his hand and slipped it onto my finger.

"_Go n-ithe an cat thú is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat_," I sneered. ("May the cat eat you, and may the cat be eaten by the devil.")

With that, I pulled my coat around me and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me. Vinny was waiting, wand at the ready.

"I'll explain later, Vinny," I mumbled.

I grabbed his arm and Apparated the both of us to my family's mansion in Dublin. I shook out my head and cracked my neck before letting go of Vinny.

"Why are we here, Miss Burke?" he asked.

"This is home, Vinny!" I exclaimed. Then, I let out a sigh. "I missed it here."

"It's not safe."

"Neither is cursing Lucius Malfoy, but that's all done."

"Liamhain…"

"I know, I know. He's a right git, he is."

He sighed and nodded. "I know. Look, I'll contact Mad-Eye, and he'll get some Aurors here so you can stay the night."

I shook my head. "No, I don't wanna really. Jest tha' firs' spot ta' pop inta' me 'ead."

"You're angry."

"Yeah, 'lil bit."

"Well, let's get to the bar then."

I smirked. "I love tha' way ye' think, Vinny."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Reuniting with the Weasleys**

It wasn't long before it was time to start school at Hogwarts. I hadn't heard from Lucius since that day at the Manor, but I did get a letter from Dumbledore that simply asked me to keep my temper in check while at school. In no time at all, I was out with Sirius in Diagon Alley.

Sirius had used Polyjuice Potion to look like Remus Lupin, a man who I only knew by name. He was one of Sirius's close friends. For extra protection, Vinny accompanied us, staying forever silent in the shadows, out of sight but always there.

"We have ta' meet Harry and ev'ryone at noon," I reminded Sirius as I dragged him down the streets of Muggle London.

"You're the one who took so long to get ready," he grumbled tiredly.

"Shuddup."

We got to the Leaky Cauldron then, and I threw the door open, dragging a grumpy, tired Sirius inside.

"We're early, Lee, calm down," he scolded.

While Sirius was seemingly grumpy, I knew he was happy. Since he'd escaped from Azkaban, he'd hardly seen the outside of Grimwald Place, none the less had any activity in the wizarding world. He was happy to be back out in the real world, even if he was tired.

"Liamhain!" Fred and George called in unison.

I laughed. "Aye, boyo, calm down," I teased, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders.

"We're two people, you know," Fred began.

"And you can call us by our names," George continued.

"Then again, she probably—"

"Can't tell us apart—"

"Anyway," they finished together.

"Bleedin' mentallers," I scolded teasingly.

"Oi!"

Sirius laughed. "You two act like I did when I was your age," he snickered.

"Look, he can't tell you apart, either," I joked.

Just as they were about to retort back, Mrs. Weasley walked in.

"Liamhain, how are you, dear?" she called.

I pushed Fred and George out the way and wrapped Mrs. Weasley in a hug.

"I been pretty good," I answered.

"Good, good. I hope you recovered well from the World Cup. You haven't been around since then."

I knew she was scolding me for not coming back to the Burrow, but Sirius absolutely wouldn't allow me out of the house, especially after Vinny informed him of what happened at Malfoy Manor.

"I know, I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," I apologized. "I'll be back fah Christmas, though."

"Good."

Harry and Ron joined us then, followed by Hermione and Ginny. I greeted and hugged them all before we headed out to shop. They didn't need as many things as I did, so they were done buying there things long before me. We decided to meet back up at the Leaky Cauldron after I finished buying my things.

I'd never done so much school shopping in my life. I hadn't even needed to buy this much for my first year at Sláinte. I needed new robes, a new cloak, a hat, new school uniforms (which had to be embroidered with the Slytherin crest), new books, and various things for various classes I'd be taking.

Once we finally got back to the Leaky Cauldron, I desperately needed a drink. The day full of shopping did nothing to make my aching muscles feel better. I was still sore from the World Cup, so I fell into the closest chair to me, which was next to Fred.

"How are you feeling?" Fred asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"I needa drink," was my only response.

He chuckled. "Of course you do."

I got a shot of fire whiskey to relax my muscles, but Mrs. Weasley happened to walk in as I threw back the shot.

"Liamhain Burke, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she yelled, glaring at Sirius who had also just thrown back a shot.

"Sharin' a drink with her favorite cousin!" Sirius answered with a laugh.

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face, which was a flustered one of anger.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm of age," I reminded her.

"Yes, yes, I know, but just don't drink in front of me," she scolded.

I snickered. "Yes, mam."

I let out a slight groan as pain shot through my body suddenly. I gripped the closest thing to me, which just happened to be Fred's leg. He looked down at me but said nothing of it. I didn't want Sirius to know I was in pain since I'd told him that I was fine. So, all Fred did was rest his hand on my thigh and rub it soothingly. I gave him a small smile in thanks.

~o0o~

"Alright, what's wrong?"

I glared up the twins' question. Two days had passed since Diagon Alley, and I still felt as terrible as I had the night after the World Cup. Honestly, I felt as though I'd just been under the Crutiatus Curse. Fred and George knew this, too.

"Nuffin'," I lied, stretching my legs out so that my feet sat on the bench across from me.

We were on the Hogwarts Express, had been for not even five minutes. Well, of course they wanted to know what was wrong right away.

"You really are a bad liar," George pointed out.

"Not my fault I'm too sore tah put up a fight," I grumbled.

They looked at one another and then at me.

"Sore?" they asked in unison.

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"I am, really. Don't worry about it."

"You're sore?" Fred asked again.

I refused to meet his eyes when I nodded.

"Meet me after dinner, okay?" he asked.

I wasn't sure where he was going with it, so I just agreed anyway.

"So are you going to live with Sirius for now on?" George asked curiously, not looking up from some piece of parchment he and Fred were fawning over.

"Probably. I might get my own place soon," I answered nonchalantly, leaning my head back and letting my eyes slide closed.

"Aw, but we miss you!"

"Yeah, why weren't you allowed out the house?" Fred asked.

I just shrugged. "He's over-protective."

"Well, Mum misses you," George said.

"And she doesn't really fancy Sirius," Fred added.

"So you should just come back and live with us."

I snickered. "Yer crazy. Nah, I'll be fine." I opened my eyes to see they were still fawning over that parchment. "Alright, what's that?"

Their heads snapped up and George tucked the parchment away in his robes.

"Nothing," the twins replied in unison.

I just rolled my eyes and decided to take a nap. One dose of Calming Draught later, I was out cold.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Warm and Not-So-Warm Welcomes**

"And, before we eat, I'd like to introduce our new student, who has just transferred from Sláinte in Dublin, Liamhain Black-Burke," Dumbledore finished. "Miss Burke, will you please stand?"

I was frozen in complete and utter shock. I couldn't believe that he'd just personally introduced me to the whole school. Dumbledore had it in for me.

I stood slowly, not showing how nervous I was.

"Howya, Professor!" I called to him, a smirk on my face.

He chuckled. "Hello, Miss Burke. Thank you, that is all."

I couldn't help the glare that came to my eyes when Dumbledore grinned like that. He really wanted to watch me squirm.

Earlier in the night, Dumbledore announced that Hogwarts was to host the Tri-Wizard Tournament. There had been tons of conversation about that before, but now, everyone was talking about me.

"Is that really Vulpecula Black?" I heard a girl at my table whisper rather loudly.

I glared over at the girl. She was younger than me, with shoulder-length dark hair and a little pig nose. I knew she couldn't be that much younger than me, but she looked like a small child.

"Aye, Pudgy, it's _Liamhain Burke _now!" I growled to her. "Bleedin' gobshite."

She glared down at me but held her tongue.

"Yeah, tha's wha' I thought, ya' manky bitch," I spat.

A few of the guys sitting at the table laughed, but I just ignored the bitch and started eating. I realized that the Slytherin table hadn't touched the food until I took my first bite. I smirked but said nothing.

"Hello, beautiful," a familiar voice drawled in my ear.

"Feck off, Malfoy," I sneered.

His hand gripped my shoulder, and I felt his breath blow hot on my neck when he spoke to me. "That's no way to treat your future husband, _Black_."

I leaned back and turned so that I was just facing Malfoy. I knew that the whole table was watching us (as well as some of the other tables, faculty included) when I gently placed my hand on his chest. I let my arm relax so that I was "caressing him compassionately". I then leaned up so that my lips were at his neck.

"Now, that's no way ta' treat ye' superiors, _Malfoy_," I sneered, just loud enough so that most of the Slytherins could hear. I then, very swiftly, jammed my elbow into his crotch, causing him to near double over in pain. "Yer just as pathetic as yer father."

With that, I turned back to my food and continued eating as though nothing had happened. A group of students began clapping, some cheering my name. I recognized Fred's and George's catcalls in the lot. I only snickered and shook my head.

Once everyone was done eating, Dumbledore swiftly repeated the rules and dismissed each house. The Slytherin table was dismissed last, so as soon as he called our name, I rose from the table and towards the door. Not a single Slytherin stood until I took my first step out of the door.

"Well, that took long enough," Fred said, causing me to turn to him quickly.

He was leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face. He reached his arm out and wrapped it around my shoulders.

"Let's go," he urged, trying to get me to move.

I didn't want to move, though. I was in so much pain that I could've doubled over and lay down on the floor right there. Fred seemed to notice this, so he wrapped an arm around my waist to help me to the Gryffindor commons. George was already there, as were most of the Gryffindors. A certain pissy-looking brown-haired boy was the first to speak up.

"Oi, what's she doin' in 'ere?" he demanded. This boy had a thick Irish accent, though he probably wasn't from Dublin.

"Aye, ya' bleedin' bogtrotter, 'eff off," I snapped back at him. I could help but smirk, which he returned.

"At least I ain't some D4 rugger 'ugger."

I chuckled and shook my head. This boy made me want to go back to Dublin. "Eh, ye' not so bad, I figure. Howya, Liamhain Burke."

"Seamus Finnigan. How's she cuttin'?"

I nodded, still smiling at the younger boy. "Just actin' tha' maggot, boyo."

He laughed and gave Fred a wink. Fred, on the other hand, was completely confused. I grabbed his hand nonetheless, so he showed me up some stairs that I assumed led to his room.

"'Night boyo!" I called.

"'Night, love!" he called back.

I turned to Fred as he led me into his room. "I like tha' kid," I thought aloud.

"You're accent gets thicker, you know," he pointed out, "when you talk to him. And when you're mad; you're accent is crazy when you're mad."

I chuckled. "Alright, well, what are we doin' here?"

"Lay down."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Oh, and take off your shirt."

"Fred…"

"Trust me. Lay on your stomach."

I did as he said, for I was too tired to argue. He straddled my back and I felt him unhook my bra. He then gently took it off of me. Before I could question what the hell he was doing, he began to massage my back. He started first at my neck, then down to my shoulders, and about half an hour later he'd gotten to my lower back. Throughout the massage, I couldn't help the moans that slipped past my lips in relief. It felt _so _good! My muscles had been so tight since the World Cup, so sore, and Fred relieved all of this pain. It was as though he knew exactly where I hurt, and he gave those spots extra attention. His hands were fucking magical, I swear; they felt amazing.

Once he'd finished my back, he got off of me, and I felt his hands slide down my legs. Again, I moaned.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked. His voice was softer than I'd ever heard him speak before.

"Everywhere," I admitted in a whisper.

So his hands went everywhere. He took his time and was gentle, massaging certain parts more or less depending on the sound I made when he touched it. I'm not sure how long went by before I finally rolled over onto my back and gazed up at Fred. I was sure that I looked relaxed, my eyes had drooped in comfort.

"Come lay down," I murmured, smiling lazily.

He grinned as he quickly lay down next to me. We faced one another, and he draped his arm over my waist.

"Thank ye', Fred," I breathed as I began to run my fingers through his long hair.

"Of course, love," he answered, "but you'll have to tell someone."

I groaned. "Sirius can't find out."

"He doesn't have to, but this isn't good. Tell Dumbledore."

I shook my head. "I can sort it later."

He sighed. "Okay."

We just looked at one another, his eyes locked on mine. Suddenly, as I was in mid-blink, he caught my lips in his. It was very brief, and when he pulled away, his eyes were searching mine. I then leaned into him and caught his lips as he'd previously done. I pulled away from him just as quickly as he'd pulled away from me. In the next second, Fred had me pulled against him tight, his lips locked onto mine. His hand slid under my tights and caressed my hip, while his other hand rested gently on my cheek. I wrapped one leg around his waist; my fingers were tangled in his hair. His tongue slipped pass my lips and gently caressed mine. Our motions were fast but still somehow gentle. He was so gentle with me, like I was made of glass. His kisses were caring.

"Okay, princess, time to leave!" George announced as he entered the dorm.

Fred and I pulled apart, but he kept me wrapped in his arms.

"What?" Fred asked. Well, snapped, really.

"It has been brought to our attention that little miss princess here is being missed in the Slytherin Common Room. Causing quite a commotion, really. Apparently, none of them will go to bed until you return, _my lady_."

I laughed and slowly untangled myself from Fred. "I'll be down in a minute," I told George. I then turned to Fred with a smirk. "I'll see ye' in the mornin'."

He just nodded and handed me my emerald green turtleneck that I'd been wearing. It was tight and stopped just below the curve of my butt. It was accented in silver; Fred hated it.

"Alright, but do try not to wear those Slytherin colours too much," he teased.

"It wasn't on purpose!"

With that I blew him a kiss and walked out. I walked down the stairs with deliberate slowness; I didn't want to go back to my common room, wherever the hell it was. Once I got back to the Gryffindor common room, Seamus called me over to him.

"Yeah, boyo?" I asked, draping an arm around his shoulder.

He chuckled. "How'd ya' date wiff Fred go?"

I laughed and ruffled his hair. "Told ya', actin' tha' maggot."

"Oh, come off it! Wha' 'appened?"

"Wha', wha's tha' craic? Mind yew, 'e's a savage fine bit'o stuff."

He snickered. "Oh, 'm sorry, Sheila, I thought ya' name was Liamhain."

I laughed and gently smacked him upside the head. "Now ye' suckin' diesel. Alright, boyo, work away."

He just laughed and shooed me off out the portrait door. Standing outside of it, though, was a very pissed off Draco Malfoy.

"What the hell were you doing in _there_?" he demanded.

"Actin' the maggot. What the 'ell are you doin' out 'ere?" I snapped.

I walked pass him and towards the direction I figured the Slytherin dorms were. He roughly grabbed my right wrist and pulled me back.

"Tha's me wand arm, boyo," I sneered, glaring at him.

"And?" he growled. "You will not walk away from me like that, Black! Now, what the hell were you doing in Gryffindor Tower with Fred Weasley?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Wouldn't ye' like ta' know? C'mon, Malfoy, wanna' know if I was feckin' 'im?"

He then released my wrist, only to slap me roughly across the face.

These Malfoy men never learn.

In the next second, I'd nonverbally disarmed him and immobilized his body. He lay on the floor, his face frozen in a glare.

"Pathetic," I hissed as I slid his wand into my pocket, "just like ye' father."

With that, I left him on the staircase and headed down a new set of stairs.

I found the Slytherin dorms with a charm my father had taught me that allowed my wand to point in the direction of where I wanted to go (they're in the dungeons, by the way). Once I got there, I had to calm them all down and let them know I was alright. I then found my room, which I unfortunately shared with three other girls, and got comfortable. Two other girls were there then; they were sitting on a bed gossiping with one another. I acted as though they weren't even there as I changed into a pair of black silk shorts and a matching lacey spaghetti strap top. With a flick of my wand, my hair was in a single, thick braid. About an hour had passed, and I was simply lying on my bed when the door flew open. Behind it stood a disheveled, pissed off Draco Malfoy.

"VULPECULA VEGA LIAMHAIN BLACK!" he yelled, his silver eyes burning holes into mine.

The two girls scurried out of the room, and Draco slammed the door shut behind them.

I cocked my head to the side, still lying down with my hands resting behind my head.

"'as anyone ever told ye' that ye' look like Jṻrgen Ohlsen?" I asked, my demeanor perfectly calm.

"Where the fuck is my wand?" he demanded, ignoring my redundant question.

I snickered. "Aw, Malfoy, are ye' gonna treat me like _tha_'?"

He grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked, dragging me off the bed. He then shoved my back into the bedpost.

"You WILL NOT treat me like that!" he yelled.

"I can 'ear ye' perfectly fine!" I yelled back.

For the second time that night, Draco fucking Malfoy slapped me. He hit me harder this time, causing my head to brutally slam into the bedpost.

"I'M GOING TO BE YOUR HUSBAND—YOU LISTEN TO ME!" he screamed.

I pulled away from his grasp, tearing my night shirt in the process, and punched him square in the jaw.

"REMEMBER WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO!" I bellowed, glaring at him. He'd staggered a few steps back from my punch, and I now had my wand at the ready. He truthfully looked scared.

"Learn yer place," I hissed.

He shook his head. "You listen to me, you little bitch. Two years from now, I'll be your husband, and you _will _learn how to respect me."

"Ye' listen tah me, ya' manky arse. I'm ye' superior, I got purer blood than ye'—ye' listen tah me! NOT THA' OTHER WAY 'ROUND! Now get outta' 'ere b'fore I kill yer arse."

He just stood there and glared at me. I growled in annoyance and nonverbally hexed him, sending him right through the door of my dorm. I stomped out the room, glaring at Draco who had flown through the door, down the steps, and was now lying breathless on his back in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room.

"Do not feck wiff' me, Malfoy," I sneered, walking slowly down the stairs. "Wha' are ye'?"

"Listen, _Black,_ I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into," he threatened as he rose back to his feet.

I laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Really? An' wha' is tha'? 'Cause, frankly, yer not tha' intimidatin' when ye' ain't got'ta' wand."

A few gasps were heard from around the common room.

"She has his wand?" a girl's voice hissed.

Draco moved as though to punch me, but I simply sidestepped his fist before grabbing it tightly in my hand. I twisted his arm around behind his back, causing him to hiss in pain. I pulled on it harder.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, _you will _not _feck with me_," I growled. "Is tha' understood?"

He neither did nor said a thing.

"IS THA' UNDERSTOOD?"

When he didn't reply this time, I shoved him onto the floor on his stomach. I placed my foot in between his shoulder blades and pushed.

I raised my wand to the air, and, with a nonverbal jinx and a flick of my wrist, I'd moved his wand from my room to a random place in the castle. This random place was, consequently, that second floor girls' loo, in one of the pipes under a sink.

"Find ya' wand on yer own, feckin' prick," I sneered.

With that, I gave him a swift kick in the stomach before walking back to my room. I put a silencing charm on Malfoy so that I didn't have to hear him bitch.

No one came to my dorm for the rest of the night.

**By the by, "acting the maggot" means "playing/messing/fooling around". R&R please?**

**jess**


	7. Chapter 7

**Snape? Bloody Sham.**

The next morning was the first day of classes. I woke early enough to give me long enough time to shower and make myself look as though my body wasn't throbbing in pain. Along with my uniform, I wore a pair of black heals and shimmering dragon hide tights. I wore my family crest proudly on my ring. Even if I didn't go by the Black name anymore, I was still fairly proud of it. The name alone gave me power, so the crest of the Most Noble Family of Black smirking at everyone who walked by gave me even more power. Power…that was something I _loved. _No, I wasn't power crazy like Voldemort. I did, however, demand respect. One doesn't get respect unless powerful. Hence my fondness of it.

When I walked down the stairs into the common room, I was greeted by none other than Draco Malfoy, who, of course, was hiding behind a greasy-looking man with an awkward nose.

"Miss Black, where is Mister Malfoy's wand?" the man asked.

My eyes narrowed. "Wha'? Me name's Burke now, sham," I snapped.

"If I'm not mistaken, that _is _the Black family crest you're wearing. So, as long as that's on, I'll be calling you by your real name."

I glared but bit my tongue. He nodded, as though approving of my silence.

"Good. Now, take Mister Malfoy to his wand," he continued.

"English justice, tha' is," I grumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nuffin'. C'mon, Malfoy."

I headed out of the common room with Draco following behind. Our trip to the loo was silent, thank God. I would've hit Draco had he started anything. I couldn't stand the boy.

I walked to the sinks that sat neatly in a circle in the center of the room. I ran my hand under one of the faucets, trying to sense if Draco's damn wand was inside of it. Instead, my fingers ran across something else, something that was engraved into the underside of the faucet.

I didn't hear Draco's incessant whining as I bent over to further inspect the sink. My eyes grew wide as I saw an emblem that I now knew so well.

"…and I'm not going to let a bitch like you make me late," Draco finished as I rounded on him.

"Alrigh', shuddup," I snapped. I wrapped my hand around the faucet and willed the wand to come through it. In a second, his wand was in my hand, and Draco was glaring at me in jealousy.

"I ain't jest gonna' give it ta' ya'," I teased, holding the wand so that half of it was still in the pipe.

"Dammit, Black!" he yelled in aggravation.

"IT'S BURKE!"

"JUST GIVE BACK MY DAMN WAND!"

"FINE! HERE'S YER FECKING WAND!"

It was a childish move, yes, but I then threw his wand at him, causing it to bounce off his head and onto the bathroom floor. I flicked my own wand, and suddenly, Draco's wand rolled out of the loo, rather fast I might add. With a glare, Draco ran after his wand.

Satisfied with myself, I headed for the Great Hall. Most of the Slytherins were waiting outside the Great Hall, talking amongst themselves. All conversation stopped when I walked pass them. I hardly noticed that there was no one sitting at the Slytherin table.

I spotted Fred and George sitting across from one another at the Gryffindor table. Fred had his back to me, so, as he was about to take a bite of his toast, I snatched it out of his hand and kissed his cheek.

"What the—!" he began, turning to me. "Oh, good morning, Lee."

I snickered and took a bite of his toast. "'Mornin'," I grumbled around my bite, sitting next to him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap.

George cleared his throat as soon as Fred's lips brushed my throat. I looked up at him with a smirk. My smirk fell, though, when I remembered that he was the one who sent me out to Draco the night prior.

"Oi, ya' arseways or sumffin'?" I asked, arms crossed.

"What?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"If ya' woulda' tould me Malfoy was the one waitin', I woulda' stayed."

He laughed. "How'd that work out for you, anyway?"

"He's a right bastard, he is."

Fred laughed underneath me. "Are you the reason we saw him chasing his wand up the stairs?" he asked.

"Of course."

This time, both twins laughed uncontrollably. "You're amazing, Lee," they said in unison.

Before I could reply, someone clamped a hand tight on my shoulder. I spun around to face Draco. With a sigh of annoyance, I slid off Fred's lap and stood face to face with Draco.

"NO WIFE OF MINE IS GOING TO FUCK AROUND WITH THOSE BLOODTRAITORS!" he yelled, his wand at my throat.

This definitely gained the attention of everyone in the room. I ignored the gasps and whispers as people registered what had just been said.

"DRACO! YEW GOD-DAMNED LITTLE POOFER!" I hollered back. "WHA', YE' MIND IF I FECK 'IM? WELL, SHITE, I MIGH' JEST FIND A EMPTY ROOM AND 'AVE A RIDE! YE' SCARED I'LL HAWL ARSE OUTTA 'ERE WIFF 'IM AN' FORGET ALL 'BOUT YA'? WELL, FECK YEW, AN' YER PATHETIC FATHER!"

I wasn't surprised when he slapped me. He was pretty surprised, though, when I flicked my wand and sent him flying across the room and into the wall behind the Slytherin table. He flew over the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and the empty Slytherin table before he crashed into the window. I motioned with my hand for his wand, causing it to fly into my waiting fingers. I briskly walked across the room. Each time I got to a table, I would nonverbally make it so that I could walk through them. Once I got to Draco, I pinned him against the wall, my wand at his throat. I leaned in so that my lips were at his ear.

"I should jest kill ye' now," I whispered. "Yew'll never get this ring, no matter wha' oul Lucius says. I can do it, ya' know, kill ye'. Wouldn't be too 'ard, righ' bastard yew are."

I vaguely heard Fred and George yell, "Lee! Where's your head?" and Hermione yell that I was going to be expelled.

Though he had a look of anger on his face, I could see the fear in his eyes. It was only there for a second, then his grey eyes were hard and cold again.

"In two years, I'll show you you're place," he sneered. "You're beneath me, Black. You'll know your place soon enough."

My simple response to this was to punch him in the face (breaking his nose in the process) and hide his wand again. This time, I let it go to the depths of the Black Lake.

"Find ye' wand on yer own," I snapped.

I shoved him into the wall one last time before leaving. On my way out, I walked past the group of seemingly horrified Slytherins that were waiting outside the door.

"Ye' can fecking sit yer arses down already!" I screamed in aggravation.

I stormed down the corridor, muttering under my breath about how much of a prick Draco was. I decided to write Lucius a letter, but as I was headed back to the dungeons, I ran into a particular greasy-looking professor.

"Guess I'll be seein' alotta ye'," I grumbled.

"Seeing as I'm the head of your house, yes, you will," he sneered.

"Oh, then I'll be seein' alottalotta ye'—"

"Being your head of house, Professor Dumbledore has asked me to reprimand you for your actions in the Great Hall."

"English justice."

He just kept talking as though I'd never said a word. "So, as your punishment, you will not be allowed to enter the TriWizard Tournament."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Tha's it?"

"Don't let it happen again, Black. And here's your schedule."

With that, he handed me a scroll of parchment and left.

I looked down at the parchment and read my schedule:

_Liamhain Black-Burke_

_ DAY I_

_ First Hour: Double Potions/Gryffindor_

_ Second Hour: Defense Against the Dark Arts/Gryffindor_

_ Third Hour: Advanced Charms_

_ Fourth Hour: Advanced Transfiguration_

_ Lunch_

_ Fifth Hour: Advanced Arithmancy_

_ Sixth Hour: Herbology_

_ Seventh Hour: Double Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_ Eight Hour: Astronomy _

_ Ninth Hour: Spare_

_ Tenth Hour: Ancient Ruins_

_ DAY II_

_ First Hour: Double Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_ Second Hour: Advanced Transfiguration_

_ Third Hour: Advanced Charms_

_ Fourth Hour: Spare_

_ Lunch_

_ Sixth Hour: Spare_

_ Seventh Hour: Spare_

_ Eighth Hour: Spare_

_ Ninth Hour: Spare_

_ Tenth Hour: Spare_

I let out an exasperated sigh once I realized that I had no clue where I was in the castle and that my first hour class was probably very soon. Thankfully, Fred found me while I was trying to find my way back to the Great Hall.

"You look upset—Did Snape expel you?" he asked instantly, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"No, no, tha' sham di'n't kick me out," I grumbled.

"So you're off the hook?"

"I'm not allowed to try for that TriWizard Tournament."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, tha's it. Rubbish, if ye' ask me."

"Are you actually _mad _that you didn't get expelled?"

"Yeah, I am! 'E's a right prick, 'e is! No right tah tell me I can't—"

He cut me off with a kiss. I groaned in annoyance but kissed him back nonetheless, causing him to smirk before slipping his tongue into my mouth. I laced my fingers through his hair lazily. He pulled away slowly, that smirk still on his face.

"I really don't want to hear you go on about Snape; sorry," he breathed.

"Yer a right git, too," I whispered, smirking up at him.

"Alright, well, what's your first class? I'll show you there."

"Double Potions with Gryffindor. What've ye' got?"

His face lit up. "Double Potions with Slytherin. Then what?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindor. Yew?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts with Slytherin. Lemme' see your schedule."

I handed him the parchment. He handed it back a moment later with a sigh.

"Bloody hell, you've got a lot of classes," he muttered, shaking his head. "Well, I've got spare with you today, too, and tomorrow we've got a few spares together."

"Alright. Well, let's get goin'. Where's Potions anyway?"

"The dungeons."

"Really? Well, I know how ta' get there. Let's go."

I dragged him by the hand and pulled him towards the dungeons. He laughed.

"Don't be so excited, Lee," he chuckled.

"I'm actually good at Potions, thank ye'," I snapped.

He just laughed and shook his head. When we got to Potions, I gave Fred a peck on the cheek before joining the other Slytherins. Once I took my seat at the front of the room, the rest of the students clad in green sat down as well.

The greasy professor strode into the room not long after I'd gotten settled. I couldn't help but grimace at him.

"You have one hour to complete any potion in your text book," he stated simply, his voice monotonous. "This is _not _a partner activity. Begin."

I definitely wasn't expecting him to give us free reign on a potion; this guy didn't seem like the kind of professor to do that. Regardless, I started my potion right away. I decided to make a simple Veritaserum. I'd made the potion numerous times before. Hell, I'd even come up with a spell that matured the potion perfectly so that it didn't take a full moon cycle. My version of Veritaserum worked just as well as the original, if not better.

I was the first to get up and search through the ingredients cabinets. I found most of my ingredients easily (I mean, this man would have to be an idiot if he didn't have pomegranate juice or honeywater), but it took me a good ten minutes to hunt down the jobberknoll feathers. With a sigh of aggravation, I set my ingredients and cauldron on my table. To my surprise, there was a boy sitting next to me running a hand through his dark hair. In all honesty, this boy was sexy. He smirked up when he saw me.

"Graham Montague," he introduced, holding out his hand.

I just nodded and returned to my potion. I heard him snicker, but I just ignored him.

Making Veritaserum wasn't all that hard for me seeing as I'd made it at least a dozen times over. Still, my time wasted looking for ingredients cost me. My maturing charm took a few seconds over twenty-seven minutes, so I was pressed for time to mix the potion. Thankfully, fate was on my side that morning and I added in the few last drops of honeywater and the final shred of jobberknoll with time to spare. With a flick of my wand, I set my potion to mature.

"What're you making?" Montague asked, trying yet again to strike up conversation.

I'd almost forgotten that he was sitting next to me, I was so mixed up in my potion. I just rolled my eyes at him and looked to see if my Veritaserum was maturing properly.

"Done already, Miss Black?" the professor snapped, glancing into my cauldron.

"Nearly," was my simple reply.

"What have you brewed, exactly?"

"Veritaserum."

"Impossible."

"Improb'ble."

"Veritaserum takes a full moon cycle to mature."

"Only for dimwitted shams."

"What was that?"

"'Tis poss'ble to brew Veritaserum with a twenty-seven minute, three second maturin' charm."

"With what ingredients?"

"Well jobberknoll feathers are obvious; pomegranate juice; honeywater; two crocodile heartstrings; peppermint; powdered moonstone; and salamander blood."

"Salamander blood and pomegranate juice counter each other."

"Not if used in proper amounts. Not to mention that, when used together, pomegranate juice and salamander blood react in such a way that they cause a weakened state in the drinker. This weakened state sedates the mind so that thoughts are left open; it strengthens the potion."

"Honeywater?"

"Sweetens the potion, also strengthenin' in."

He scoffed and went to look at other potions.

My potion matured with two minutes left to spare; thank God. When the professor called time, he chose my potion first.

"Miss Black here believes that she has made a perfect brew of Veritaserum in only an hour," he announced, "and since she is so adamant about this, she can test it for us."

**AN: anyone recognize the avps quote?(:**

**jess**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Never Drank Veritaserum Before**

"Yer jokin', right? Why don't yew drink it?"

Everyone stared at me, but I hardly noticed. This bastard was fucking crazy! Testing my own-albeit perfect-brew of Veritaserum on _me_! Fucking mental.

"Miss Black, if you don't wish to drink your potion, who shall?" he asked, unfazed.

"Well, Professor, this Montague bloke 'ere has been tryin' to strike up a conversation all day, why not lett'im talk?" I suggested with a smirk.

Professor Greasy then handed me a vial that contained one drop of my Veritaserum. I looked at him as though he was crazy. Hell, he _was _crazy.

"I said Montague, not me," I snapped.

"I would rather test your own potion on yourself."

"I wouln't."

"Then you fail today's assignment."

I groaned. I couldn't fail that assignment. I'd wanted to see if I could replace my spare with Advanced Potions, but there was no way this bastard would let me do that if I didn't even test my potion. So, with a grimace, I downed the clear drop of potion.

It was sweet, though not too sweet, as I knew it would be. My mind went hazy and weak, and I felt my limbs grow heavy. I stared up at Professor Greasy, not entirely focusing on him. I knew it would be like this.

Everything else was like a dream.

_"Who won the Quidditch World Cup?" he asked first, his voice still as monotonous as ever._

_ "Ireland."_

_ "Were you there?"_

_ "I went with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione."_

_ "What was the score of the match?"_

_ "I'dun'no. Wasn't payin' attention."_

_ "Why not?"_

_ "We ran into the Malfoys on the way to our seats."_

_ "What happened then?"_

_ "Lucius asked how me mam was."_

_ "And how is she?"_

_ "Dead." _

_ "What happened last night?"_

_ "I went up to Gryffindor Tower and ended up snoggin' Fred."_

_ "I meant what happened with you and Draco Malfoy."_

_ "I hid his wand in the second floor girls' loo."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "He's a right prick, 'e is. Finks 'e can jest control me 'cause 'e's gonna marry me."_

Before I knew it, the professor slipped the antidote down my throat. My head snapped up as I glared at him.

"Satisfied?" I asked, my voice dripping with anger.

"See me after class, Black," was his only response.

I didn't pay much attention during the rest of the class. Once Greasy was done checking everyone's potions, he motioned for me to come to his desk.

"Yesir?" I asked, my jaw clenched.

"I'd like to know how you made that," he answered, not looking up from the parchment he was writing on.

"What for, exactly?"

"So I can improve it."

"Yeh can't improve it."

"What's the recipe?"

I sighed. "I'll make'a deal wiff ya'. If I give yew this recipe, will yeh' gim'me Advanced Potions instead of my spare?"

Now he looked up. "That's a lot of classes."

"And?" Why the hell did he give a damn?

"You can drop eighth hour Astronomy for Advanced Potions and keep your spare."

"Tha's it?"

"Is that all you can say today, Black?"

The bell rang then, signaling for second hour, so I just gave him a curt nod before leaving.

"You're bloody brilliant!" George said from behind me. Suddenly, his arm was around my shoulders and Fred's was around my waist.

"Amazing," Fred agreed.

"Gave us a run for our money, you did."

"Thought you were kidding when you said you were good."

I laughed. "What'd yew make, anyway?"

"Draught of Living Death," they replied together.

"It wasn't a group project."

"Great minds think alike."

"So," George said, "Fred says we have this hour with you, too. Lemme' see your schedule."

I fished my schedule out of my pocket and handed it to George. He chuckled.

"You have Snape twice a day?" he asked, laughing.

I'd gathered that Snape was Professor Greasy since Dumbledore had announced that Alastor Moody was to be the DADA professor.

"What'd he want with you anyway?" Fred asked.

I shook my head. "Nuffin', don't worry 'bout it. Alrigh' let's go."

We made it to Mad-Eye's class just in the nick of time. I took a seat in the back of the room next to Fred, who rested his hand on my knee. He leaned over, his breath hot on my neck as he whispered in my ear.

"I really need to get you a Gryffindor shirt, by the way," he whispered.

I snickered. "Why?" I whispered back.

"Those Slytherin colors are absolutely repulsive, love."

Before I could reply, though, Mad-Eye interrupted us.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Burke?" he demanded, his eye swirling around like crazy.

I rolled my eyes. Mad-Eye was crazy. I'd known him for years, almost as long as I'd known Vinny. He was absolutely brilliant, Mad-Eye was. Just a bit unconventional.

"No thanks, Professor," I answered, smirking up at him.

He grumbled and returned to the rest of the class. Before he addressed them, though, he added, "Oh, and Weasley, get your hand off her knee."

Fred like to have a bloody heart attack, and he instantly placed both his hands atop the desk.

Okay, saying that Mad-Eye was unconventional was a bit of an understatement. He was completely mental. He decided that we could learn defense by having him show us the Unforgivable Curses. First, he practiced the Imperious Curse on a spider, making it run around the room, fly in circles, ect. Then, he tortured the creature with the Cruciatus Curse. Finally, he ended the poor thing's misery by killing it with a quick _Avada Kedavra_. The whole thing made my blood boil and brought the worst memories to me. I'd had Fred's hand tight in mine the whole hour.

I was out of there as soon as the bell rang.

"Hey, Lee!" Fred called after me as I was practically running down the hall. I wanted to get as far away from there as soon as possible.

Fred caught up with me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to a stop and spinning me to face him.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

I nodded. "Yeah, fine," I lied. "I'll see yeh at lunch; don't wanna be late tah class."

With that, I hurried off to Charms.

The next few hours of the day went by rather quickly without any major occurrences. Graham Montague was in both my Advanced Charms class and my Advanced Transfiguration class as well. In Transfiguration, I sat next to a rather handsome Slytherin boy named Anthony Damon, and the two of us got along much better than I did with Montague.

I spent lunch with Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. Draco was nowhere to be found, thank God, so I didn't have him bothering me the whole hour. Fred still seemed worried about me, though.

"Lee, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he murmured in my ear. I'd been sitting in his lap drinking pumpkin juice.

I shook my head. "Nuffin's wrong," I answered, taking a bite of fruit to avoid having to answer any more questions.

He just sighed and kissed my neck. "Alright, love."

Arithmancy and Herbology were rather uneventful, not unlike the two classes I'd had prior. Then, of course, I had Double DADA. This class was much smaller than my earlier DADA class, so there were students from four houses in it. Anthony Damon was also in this class, so I sat with him again.

Thankfully, Mad-Eye didn't _practice_ the Unforgivables again—he decided to lecture on them instead.

"There are three Unforgivable Curses," he began. "You should know them all by now. What are they?"

Most of the students were shaken by Mad-Eye's bluntness. A Slytherin girl answered him confidently, though, breaking the short silence.

"The Imperious Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse," she chirped.

"What are the incantations?" Mad-Eye asked, no longer acknowledging the girl.

No one answered.

"Anyone? Burke, I know you know this. What is the incantation for the Imperious Curse?"

I glared at him and clenched my jaw.

"Burke, answer the question."

We had a staring contest for the next few minutes before I decided I'd had better answer him. Besides, Mad-Eye would keep this shit up for the whole two hours if I didn't answer.

"_Imperio_," I grumbled, glaring up at him.

"And the Cruciatus Curse? You definitely know that one."

"Watch yer mouth."

"Burke."

"Moody."

"Come on, Burke, I know for a fact you've heard this curse more than enough times to know it."

"Moody, if ye' don't shet yer mouth, I swear, I'll—"

"What? Don't want to think of Daddy?"

"Feck yew, Alastor!"

**an: how do you like it? **

**jess**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**From Lecturing to Dueling**

The room was filled with an eerie silence as Mad-Eye and I stood, wands at one another's throats. My eyes were narrowed into slits as I stared him down, wanting nothing more than to use an Unforgivable on the crazy ass man in front of me.

"Let's move onto dueling, then," Mad-Eye announced to the class, his eyes still locked on mine. "Now, it is good to learn your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. This, of course, isn't practical in a quick duel during an attack. Still, you can learn this while you're dueling. For instance, who in here has dueled Burke yet?"

Silence.

"Really? Well, that'll change soon enough. Alright, pair up and we'll begin dueling."

"I'd rather fight yew, Alastor," I snapped as he lowered his wand. Mine stayed pointed directly at him.

"Burke, partner with Damon. You two are first."

With a flick of his wrist, Mad-Eye vanished all the desks so there was enough room to duel. Anthony headed to one end of the room, so, with a glare in Mad-Eye's direction, I headed to the other. We both drew our wands.

As soon as the word, "Begin!" slipped from Mad-Eye's lips, I began to shout spells, jinxes, and curses.

"_Avis!_" I yelled. Nearly a hundred small birds flew from the tip of my wand straight for Anthony.

Anthony called out "_Finite Incantatum_" just a second before the birds reached him. I was ready for that though.

In disabling my spell, Anthony left himself open, vulnerable.

_Stupify!_

And, with that, the duel was over. Anthony hadn't even expected my nonverbal stun. He was flat on his back, and my wand was pointed once again at Alastor Moody.

"Ready to show 'em 'ow ta' dewl?" I sneered.

"Pucey, you're up," Mad-Eye said, looking to a Slytherin with dark blonde hair that had been shaved into a crew cut. He appeared a bit muscular, but other than that, he wasn't all too handsome.

Pucey revived Anthony before standing where he had before I stunned him. Pucey was much more ready that Anthony had been.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" he yelled, flicking his wand slightly.

"_Protego_," I murmured, sending the spell right back at him.

He called out, "_Finite Incantatum!"_as I thought, _Immobulus!_

Pucey's body froze, causing him to fall to the ground. Just to take precautions, I silently disarmed him as well.

"Now, who's next to duel Burke?" Mad-Eye asked, laughing.

"Mad-Eye, I'm feckin' tired of these childish curses!" I shouted. "You want to teach them Dark Arts, don't you? I can show 'em a helluva lotta that."

"I think I'll try her," a somewhat familiar voice spoke up, ignoring my shouts.

I looked over to see Cedric Diggory striding towards me, a smile on my face as I saw him ready to duel.

"Cedric, long time no see, boyo," I said, wrapping him in a hug.

He kissed my forehead. "How are you, Liamhain?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Eh, alright, I guess. The twins don't fancy me crazy anymore."

"Really? After this morning?"

I laughed and nodded.

"Are you two done chatting yet?" Mad-Eye snapped.

Cedric just pecked my cheek before walking away from me. He put his wand at the ready. Mad-Eye didn't even need to tell us to begin.

Thankfully, Cedric actually knew how to duel, unlike the two before him. Our duel lasted nearly an hour before Mad-Eye called us to stop. I threw an arm lazily over Cedric's shoulders.

"Well, shite, boyo," I snickered, shaking my head.

"You did pretty good yourself," he admired, letting his arm drape over my shoulders.

"Did anyone notice anything about Burke's dueling?" Mad-Eye asked.

"Yeah, she's bloody brilliant," Pucey grumbled.

"She uses a lot of nonverbal tactics," Cedric spoke up from his spot next to me.

"Exactly. Which means?"

"She doesn't leave herself open too much," Anthony answered.

"She's always got her mind on the duel," a Ravenclaw girl asked.

"You're all going to duel one another next lesson," Mad-Eye told us as the bell rang.

"What have you got next?" Cedric as we headed out of the room.

"Potions," I answered, "How 'bout yew?"

"Astronomy. I'll see you at dinner then?"

I smirked. "Sure."

Basically, I was in a very good mood that lasted all of the few minutes that it took me to walk to the dungeons for potions. Then I was greeted by a very agitated Snape.

"Black, I want that potion," he reminded me before my ass even hit the seat.

I sighed. I was fucking exhausted from my duel with Cedric and was in no way in the mood to deal with this man.

"Why?" I grumbled as I fell into my seat.

"Black."

"Snape." An idea came to me then. With a smirk, I added, "In all honesty, I can't give it to ya'. Black family secret."

He quirked an eyebrow at me before turning to the class.

"You will have a three foot report due tomorrow on the uses Veritaserum and its effects on the one who drinks it," Snape announced, a smirk in his eyes as he glanced at me.

"Sir, is this report to be on traditional Veritaserum or the one Liamhain made this morning?" an unfamiliar voice asked as I heard a door swing shut.

I turned, with the rest of the class, to see a very handsome boy with stark white skin and hair and eyelashes nearly as pale. Strangely enough, he was still gorgeous. His blood red eyes were even eerily beautiful. He was looking at Snape with an innocent expression on his face.

"Black made Veritaserum this morning?" a Hufflepuff girl quipped.

"That's not possible," a boy clad in Ravenclaw blue robes replied smartly.

"Yes, it is; Liamhain made it in first hour," the albino boy answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world as he sat down in the empty seat next to me.

"Enough!" Snape snapped. "Periculbus, why are you late?"

Periculbus. I vaguely remembered Snape saying the name in my earlier potions class. I knew the name, though. The albino boy next to me was of the Most Noble House of Periculbus, a _very _Pureblooded family from the UK. A good percent of the family was albino, just like their eldest son who was seated next to me, smirking at Snape.

"Sorry, sir, McGonagall help me after class," Periculbus answered swiftly.

"Excuse me, Professor, _did _Burke make Veritaserum?" a girl asked quietly from the back of the room.

"It's not that hard," I remarked.

"It's not possible!" that same Ravenclaw boy argued. "Veritaserum takes—"

"One moon cycle to mature, _IF _you don't know the right spells."

"You probably just added some jobberknoll to water and called it a potion."

"Well, feck me, I musta' been dreamin', 'cause it worked."

"Do it again."

"There's no time for that now."

"You're bluffing."

"Ten points from Ravenclaw if you don't shut up, Byrde!" Snape scolded, causing the boy to shut up instantly. "Now, if you're done arguing, turn to page 27 in your book and complete the potion on that page with your partner."

I turned Periculbus, an annoyed look on my face.

"Nicholas Periculbus; pleasure to meet you, Liamhain," he introduced himself as he scanned the potion we were to be making. He looked up at me once he was done, a smile on his face. "Nothing too hard, just some wound-cleaning potion."

I quirked an eyebrow, and then it dawned on me. "Stocking up for the Tournament."

Nicholas nodded. "Most likely, yes. Might as well get started, eh?"

I only nodded and summoned the ingredients from Snape's cabinet; I was far too tired and annoyed to get up. Nicholas laughed at my antics but began brewing the potion.

"So," he began as he poured in some bundimun secretion to our cauldron, "will you be going for the Tournament?"

I shook my head as I began to furiously chop the crocodile heart that sat in front of me. "'You?"

"Of course. Why aren't you?"

"Did ya' see that little ordeal at breakfast this morning? Well, Snape decided to _exempt _me from the Tournament for that."

He snickered. "Ah, I see. Well, that's a shame."

"How so?"

"I'd assume the answer was obvious. To see the famous Liamhain Black in the TwiWizard Tournament...that would've been one hell of a sight."

"If my father were alive, I..." I ended the sentence before I could say it; there was no way I would let this boy into _those _kind of thoughts. _If my father were alive, I would be competing in that tournament. _

"If your father were alive, you..." He was waiting for me to finish the sentence for him, but I was torn. Yes, this boy was probably the purest wizard at Hogwarts, but he didn't need to know my life story. Besides, I didn't want to glorify my father.

Nicholas sighed. "What are you doing after class?" he asked, stirring in some dragon's blood in our cauldron.

"Prob'bly going to the owlry. Why?" I asked curiously. "Ugh, where's the unicorn hair?"

He handed me the hairs. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

I thought a second before nodding. "No, I don't mind. I may take a while, though."

"Oh? Who are you writing to?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

"If it's about this morning, I'm sure Draco's already sent a letter-to both his parents, his cousins, and all other non-immediate family."

I sighed. "Of course he did. Damn, I forgot how fast news travels with them."

"With whom, exactly? Purebloods?"

"I-Well, yes, I guess that's exactly what I mean. I wasn't bothered with this shite in Dublin."

'"No Purebloods in Dublin? That's hard to believe."

"You very well know the answer to that. Besides, no one bothers me in Dublin."

"That's hard to believe."

"You know what I mean, Periculbus."

"Oh, using last names, are we? How long has it been since you've mingled with _your kind_, Black?"

He hissed the last part in my ear, causing me to bite to tongue to keep from yelling at him. He smirked in satisfaction and went back to our potion.

"Good to know you didn't forget everything your family taught you," he continued, much more smug now. "And I very well know what you were doing in Dublin. You had everyone afraid of you so they wouldn't bother you. You still acted like you should around other people, but that was so rare. You may not know it, Black, but you're very easy to read. Sure, none of these bloodtraitors and whatnot can read you, but I'm not like them. No, I know _exactly _what's going on it your mind. Daddy dearest would be very disappointed in you, Vulpecula."

I glared but still held my tongue. I wouldn't fuck up again like I had with Lucius, so I simply continued to concoct our potion. I wanted so badly to wipe that fucking smirk off Nicholas's face, though. The rest of class was spent in silence, and Snape told us we could leave once our potions were finished. It wasn't long before I hauled ass out that room, followed of course by Nicholas Periculbus.

"Still off to the owlry?" he asked pleasantly.

"Yes," was the only sharp reply he would get.

Once at the owlry, I transfigured myself a piece of parchment and began writing.

_Dear Lucius,_

_Don't worry, I won't waste my time on pleasantries. I'm writing to inquire about your son's absurd behavior. I haven't married him yet (nor do I plan to marry that little poofer), but he seems to have the idea stuck in his head that he owns me. He doesn't, and neither do you. In case you have forgotten, let me remind you. I am the purest witch in the Britain, and by far the most powerful. I'm even more powerful than you. You very well know my father was more powerful than you, too, which is why I am so confused as to why he even spoke to the likes of you. Oh, but of course, you've got to keep the blood pure, don't you? I don't appreciate your or your son's behavior. You prance around like you haven't a care in the world; but guess what? The Dark Lord is dead! There is no one left to protect your pathetic ass, so don't be surprised if you get a letter informing you of some "unfortunate" event involving Draco and the Black Lake._

_You've been warned, Malfoy. Don't make me tell you again._

_Vulpecula Vega Liamhain Black_

I tied the letter to the nearest owl and sent it on it's way to Malfoy Manor. Nicholas looked at me, a smirk on his face.

"Will ya' wipe that bloody smirk off your face, boyo?" I snapped, deciding to break the polite act I was putting on for him.

"Threatening Malfoy?" he asked, obviously amused.

"Reading over my shoulder?"

"Of course."

"There's your answer then."

"Well, that's wonderful, love, but you might want to start...'acting the part' of a good little Pureblooded housewife, because soon enough, that's all you'll be to this world. Another powerful witch who fell to her husband's wishes."

"Excuse me? What gives yew the right to talk tah me like yew feckin' own me?"

"Blood status, love. You know that."

"Blood status? Me blood's a helluva lot purer than yers! Don't act like I'm not."

"That's wonderful, but guess what? Daddy isn't here to protect you anymore. Vulpecula Black, you're nothing more to me than a filthy fucking mudblood."

"Yew listen to me, ya' feckin' bloodtraitor! I could feckin' kill you right now if I wanted!"

"THEN DO IT! You haven't got the guts, Black. Sure, you've killed a man before, but so have I. You're just trying to forget your father and your entire family's values, and that's never going to happen. Come find me when your ready to embrace yourself, Black. Until you start acting otherwise, you'll be nothing more than a washed up, good for nothing bloodtraitor."

He walked out the owlry then, but I heard him mutter, "Scorpius would be horrified," as he walked down the stairs.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Pleasant and Unpleasant Surprises **

I returned to my dorm beyond pissed off. Thankfully, none of those other annoying girls were there at the time; however, I was greeted by a menacing stack of letters (Howlers included). I let out a groan.

_How the feck am I supposed to deal with this?_

I thumbed through the letters to see who they were from. Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa Malfoy. Ignatius Prewett. Caspar Crouch. Druella Black. Evan Rosier. Lysandra Yaxely. Antione Periculbus. These were only the first few names that were so angrily written across the letters. The blood red Howlers glared at me from their spot next to the massive mountain of letters.

I'm not sure why I did it, but a minute later I was standing in front of none other than Nicholas Periculbus. Maybe the ration part of my brain was too busy thinking of ways to respond to the influx of Purebloods that had written to me (who had most likely cursed my very existence). That's the theory I like to use when thinking back on the incident. I was simply void of all rational thought.

I stood in front of Nicholas, who was reading a book in the Slytherin Common Room, for all of three minutes before he looked up at me.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice dreadfully calm.

I held up the letters. "I'd like your help, if you don't mind," I replied in the most polite voice I could conjure up.

He smirked. "Of course. We'll probably be missing dinner, so come on then."

I followed the albino boy up to his dorm, trying to prepare for the vicious letters that were waiting to be read. Nicholas sat on his bed and motioned for me to do the same. I did so with a sigh.

"So, who wrote you?" he asked as he took the letters from my lap.

"The Malfoys, obviously. Yaxely. The Rosiers were kind enough to write. Ignatius wrote. I stopped looking when I got to your father," I listed.

"This news even got to my father? He's in Russia right now! Oh you've got another from my mother, my uncle. Oooh, even got Selwyn to write. Imagine what the response will be when Lucius gets your letter. Well, let's start with the Howlers then."

He handed me the first snarling Howler, a grimace on his face.

"I've got some pretty horrible memories with these things," he thought aloud.

"I've got a feelin' I'll be makin' some," I muttered.

I opened the first one with a glare. I wasn't surprised to hear Lucius's angry snarl on the other end.

"_VULPECULA VEGA LIAMHAIN BLACK! HOW DARE YOU THREATEN TO KILL MY SON! YOU HAVE NO GROUND TO THREATEN HIM! I KNOW SCORPIUS RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT! HELL, I'D EVEN CURSED YOU A FEW TIMES FOR HIM—AND YOU CAN BET THAT I WILL AGAIN! SEVEN YEARS UNDER THE CRUCIATUS CURSE AND NOW THIS! THIS! AND DRACO TOLD ME YOU'RE FUCKING A WEASLEY? A BLOODTRAITOR! WHAT THE FUCK HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU? EXPECT TO SEE ME SOON. OH, AND IF YOUR FATHER WAS ALIVE, YOU WOULD BE DEAD OR WISHING IT."_

I dropped the Howler the second my father's name was mentioned. Nicholas simply handed me Lucius's letter once the Howler shut up.

"Are you going to open it?" Nicholas asked after the letter had been sitting in my hands for a few minutes.

I looked over to him, trying so hard to hide the fear in my eyes. I knew he could see it, though; he could read me like a book, remember? He sighed.

"Now, I know Scorpius taught you better than to get scared over someone like Lucius Malfoy," he pointed out.

I simply nodded and opened the letter. Again, Lucius repeated how I was disgracing my family and that he was going to "take care of" me very soon. With regained confidence, I began writing a reply to him, with Nicholas helping me along the way.

_Lucius,_

_I'm sorry your son is a fucking_ _idiot._

"You're being nice, remember?" Nicholas reminded me. "Start over."

_Dear Lucius,_

_I'm very sorry that your son pissed me off enough for me to threaten to kill him._

"Liamhain!" he scolded. "You know your manners; _use them._ Now, start again, and write what I say.

_Dear Lucius, _

_I am writing to apologize for my uncalled for behavior_—"

"No! I'm not writing that!"

"Dammit, Black! Just shut up and write.

_I am writing to apologize for my uncalled for behavior both this morning and last night. It's been so long since my father was here to reprimand me. I understand that there is no excuse for this—_"

"What the feck, Nicholas?"

"Ugh, must you complain so much?"

After half an hour of arguing, we finally finished Lucius's letter. It was pathetically submissive, but Nicholas sent it off before I had a chance to catch it on fire. With a grimace, I opened the next waiting Howler, this time from Narcissa Black.

~o0o~

"Are we really done?" I asked through a yawn.

It was two in the morning, and I had just finished writing a reply letter to Ignatius Black. The replies had been very hard, since I'd just wanted to yell and curse the whole lot of them. Nicholas instructed me otherwise, however, so it took even longer to write back to everyone. Nicholas was sprawled across his bed, his eyes half drooping in sleep. The other three beds in the dorm remained empty, though it never crossed my mind that his roommates never even attempted to come into the room.

"Yes, we're finally done," he mumbled. "Come lay down."

I rolled my eyes and sent Nicholas's owl on its way to find Ignatius. Nicholas wrapped his hand around my wrist and gently pulled me to the bed.

"Come on; it's too late to go back to your dorm anyway," he insisted.

"I've got nothing to sleep in," I tried uselessly.

"Here." With a flick of his wand, a pair of his boxers and his Quidditch jersey flew out of his dresser and into my arms. I groaned.

"Are yew gonna' give up?"

"Nope, so save us the breath and get in bed."

With a glare, I changed into his clothes and climbed into bed next to him. As I was folding my clothes, pain shocked my body, nearly sending me to my knees. I dropped my clothes onto the floor and climbed into bed as quickly as I could. Waves of pain were still flying through my body, making me sneer in pain. Once Nicholas saw my grimace, he cupped my check in his hand.

"Be happy," he insisted. "You just took care of about half the Pureblood population in England; you deserve the sleep."

I shook my head. "It's not that," I moaned. "Ugh, feck!"

Nicholas sat up and looked me over. "What's wrong?"

"At the World Cup, some feckin' Death Eater—_FECK_!" A new, sharper wave of pain cut through me like knives. I tried to steady my breathing before finishing explaining everything to Nicholas. "A Death Eater cursed me, and I passed out, and I've had these…pains ever since."

"What kind of pains?"

"Ya'know that soreness ya' get after the Cruciatus Curse?"

He nodded before searching for something in his bedside cabinet. Once he found what he was looking for, he handed me a potion bottle.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It will make you feel better," he explained. "Trust me."

I was in too much pain to argue with him, so I just uncorked the bottle and guzzled down all the amber contents. The liquid burned as it slithered down my throat, but the burn was soon replaced by an icy freeze. As the liquid reached my stomach, the rest of my body experienced these same sensations. Then, every muscle in my body relaxed as though they'd never before. I let out a soft sigh.

"Thank yew," I whispered, letting my head fall over to the side so that I was looking at him.

He smiled down at me. "You're welcome, Liamhain," he murmured, "though that coldness will come back a few more times."

I shook my head. "It's okay, it felt nice. Mmm…thank yew _so _much, Nicholas."

He snickered and gently pulled my body closer to his. I got the chills suddenly, so I curled into Nicholas's side to keep warm. I fell asleep that night curled up with Nicholas's arms wrapped loosely around my waist.

~o0o~

"VULPECULA!"

What a wonderful way to wake up. With a groan, I rolled onto my side and pulled my legs tight to my chest.

"VULPECULA BLACK!"

Fuck.

"WHAT!" I yelled back finally, my eyes snapping open.

"Hush," a soft voice whispered in my ear, hot breath blowing on my neck.

I jumped slightly as I remembered my surroundings. I was still in Nicholas's room, and he was lying next to me comfortably.

"DAMMIT, VULPECULA!"

Oh, there goes Draco's incessant yelling again.

"What?" I groaned, looking up at Nicholas.

"Stop yelling," he grumbled.

"Draco's looking for me."

He sighed. "Go on. I'll see you in class."

I quickly changed back into my uniform, leaving Nicholas's clothes on his bed. Just before I walked out the door, I turned back to him.

"Thank you," I murmured, "for everything."

His only response was a simple nod and a gesture to leave the room, so I did just that. Pacing down the hallway then, was none other than Draco Malfoy. As soon as he heard the door close, he spun to face me.

"VULPECULA! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING IN _HIS _ROOM?" he demanded as he stalked towards me.

"None of your business, Malfoy," I sneered, heading towards my dorm.

Unfortunately, Draco blocked my way. He grabbed the tops of both my arms and held me in place, an absolutely sinister look on his face.

"I don't think you understand, Black," he snarled. "You're going to be my wife, and in two years, you will be mine. The more shit you pull here, the more punishment you'll get."

"Are ye' threatenin' me, boyo?" I growled.

"Yes, he is, Black," Nicholas interjected, stepping out of his room, "and you'll do well to remember your place."

Draco glared at him but knew better than to argue. I simply nodded, holding back my glare. I owed Nicholas for helping me the night before; I couldn't disrespect him.

"However, Draco, Snape has partnered Black and I, so she will be spending plenty of time with me," Nicholas added, nodding to Draco once more before descending the stairs. I went to follow, but Draco grabbed me and pulled me back, holding me close against his body.

"Don't start fucking him, too, or there _will _be hell to pay," he growled in my ear. I felt his wand press into the flesh of my throat.

"Yew don't scare me, Malfoy," I sneered, pulling out my wand and pressing the tip of it to his groin. "Two can play this game, boyo, and yew can bet yer arse that I'll win."

I wasn't surprised when he slapped me; Malfoy men were infamous for that. I was, however, surprised by the Dark curse he shot at me not a second later.


End file.
